A little while back, we talked about a funky little SUV that was designed by Bertone, built by Daihatsu and powered by BMW — the BMW Bertone Freeclimber. It was probably the oddest combination of automotive brands to ever collaborate on one vehicle (if you know of one weirder, please let us know). What came of that odd collaboration was actually something rather interesting and fun, regardless of if it was any good or not.
Apparently, back in the late ’80s, the famous Italian design house, Bertone, needed a project. It had just done some cars for Volvo and GM and didn’t have a project at the time, so it decided to help design a new SUV for Daihatsu, whose Rugger SUV was underwhelming at best. So Bertone got to work developing the Freeclimber, a small two-door SUV.
To power the Freeclimber, Bertone used BMW engines. Two petrol engines were on offer, a 2.0 liter or 2.7 liter I6 engine, both of which were naturally-aspirated, and a 2.5 liter turbo-diesel.
It was a funky car to say the least and not something the traditional BMW customer would want. However, if you do want one, there just so happens to be a nice example for sale on eBay.
It’s a 1991 model with the 2.5 liter turbo-diesel I6 engine, a five-speed manual and four-wheel drive. It also only has 38,766 miles on it, which is remarkably low for its age. There doesn’t seem to be any real issues with it cosmetically and it’s said to be in good running order. This is not a sexy or exciting car but it’s certainly an interesting and funny little piece of automotive history. At the time of writing this, it costs $9,100, which isn’t exactly cheap but could be worth it to store such an interesting and weird car in your collection.
[Source: Jalopnik]The article The quirky and odd BMW Bertone Freeclimber is for sale appeared first on BMW BLOG
via Tingle Cars